Construction delays face final vote today

ODOT's Transportation Review Advisory Council will meet within the hour at the agency's Hilltop
headquarters for a final vote on a list of proposed highway-construction delays that affect nearly
every corner of Ohio.

The meeting starts at 10 a.m.

Director Jerry Wray said in January that the state can't afford a long list of promises -- $1.6
billion worth -- made during past state administrations. Gas-tax collections have been on the
decline, and construction costs have been on the rise.

In central Ohio, affected projects include future phases of I-70/71 reconstruction Downtown,
major changes to the interchange between I-270 and Rts. 23 and 315 on the Far North Side, and a new
Rt. 33 interchange at Bixby Road on the South Side. All were scheduled for construction before
2017.

Delays proposed range from six to 19 years, although Wray said last week that the final plan to
be presented this morning to the advisory panel will shave a few years off the wait.